BASEBALL BIRTHDAY BASH
Invitations were sent out on real baseball cards. Info was on a sticky-note attached to each baseball card. It was requested that each attendee wear a baseball cap to the party and bring his card (invitation) back to the party. At the party, a HUGE blown-up picture of our son's favorite baseball player was attached to the wall. We made a "balloon" (comic-strip type message) of the baseball star wishing our son a happy birthday. Each person attending signed the picture--their name and a short birthday wish if desired. We had our party in a rented gym. We played baseball with a whiffle ball and plastic bat, and used rubber-backed place mats for bases. Of course, this would work as an outside party as well. We divided into teams of two and had a baseball toss. Each team tossed the ball from cap to cap (no hands touching the ball) as they steadily backed farther from each other. The team who was able to keep the ball going without missing at the farthest distance were the winners. This was in the heat of summer, so instead of birthday cake, we had sundaes. A "buffet" line was set up, at which each person could top his big dish of ice cream with a variety of toppings--nuts, crunchies, crushed cookies, crushed candy bars and other candy, fruits, and syrups; to each, his own! Before everyone left, we had a drawing from the invitation cards that had been returned to the party. The winner received a packaged plastic baseball set with bat and ball.